Appointed captain of the Russian national team during the friendly match against Nicaragua which will be played this evening, Matvey Safonov (27 years old) presented himself at a press conference yesterday. The opportunity for him to talk about his current good run with Paris Saint-Germain, he who went from number 2 goalkeeper to strong starter in recent weeks. He overtook Lucas Chevalier (24), recruited to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Frenchman could also leave the French capital this summer according to certain media. Asked about this, the Russian answered bluntly: “I’m with the national team and I prefer to talk about them.”
We should not expect more from Safonov, who remains focused on his country and his club. “A good series at PSG? When we play the round of 16 of the Champions League, these are the most important matches, the tension is palpable. But I come home, I play for the national team. It’s a different feeling. I’m not ready to say which match is more important to me. And there is a lot of pressure with the national team: people will come to see us play, to see me play. I am very motivated. I love football, I don’t need any extra motivation.” That would be to know the character badly.
